This invention relates to an automatic transmission connector for interconnecting circuits provided inside and outside an automatic transmission, and a method of assembling this connector, and more particularly to a connector for an automatic transmission in which a sealing resin material can be certainly and easily filled in cavities so as to enhance a sealing effect, and a method of assembling this connector.
An electric circuit, such as a solenoid, is contained, together with transmission oil, in a transmission casing of an automatic transmission, and this circuit is connected to a control device such as a control unit, provided outside the transmission casing, through an automatic transmission connector mounted on a side wall of the transmission casing.
In such an automatic transmission connector, the interior of a connector housing is sealed by a sealing resin material so that the oil in the transmission casing will not leak to the exterior along circuit-connecting wires and that water will not intrude from the exterior into the transmission casing along the wires.
FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) show a conventional connector for an automatic transmission. FIG. 6(a) is a side cross-sectional view, and FIG. 6(b) is a front view as seen in a direction of arrow R in FIG. 6(a).
In FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the conventional automatic transmission connector 100 comprises a plurality of terminals 101, a housing 110 receiving these terminals 101, a rubber plug 120 fitted in the housing 110, and an O-ring 130 mounted on a body of the housing 110.
The housing 110 includes a plurality of cavities 111 separated from one another by wall portions 111a, terminal passage holes 112 which communicate respectively with the cavities 111 and through which the terminals 101 pass, lances 113 each retaining the associated terminal 101 in the cavity 111, an injection hole 114 for a sealing resin material 40, and a filling space 115 which is continuous with the injection hole 114 and is filled with the sealing resin material 40.
Next, a method of assembling the above conventional automatic transmission connector will be described with reference to FIGS. 7(a), 7(b), 8(a) and 8(b).
FIGS. 7(a), 7(b) and 8(a) are views respectively showing steps of the method of assembling the conventional automatic transmission connector, and FIG. 8(b) is a view showing the state of inflow of the sealing resin material.
First, the terminals 101 are inserted respectively into the cavities 111 as shown in FIG. 7(a). As a result, the lance 113 in each cavity 111 retains the inserted terminal 101, so that the terminal 101 is fixed within the cavity 111. Then, the rubber plug 120 is fitted into the housing 110, so that the filling space 115 for the sealing resin material 40 is formed.
Then, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the housing 110 is vertically placed with the terminals 101 disposed at the upper portion, and the sealing resin material 40 is filled into the filling space 115 through the injection hole 114 in the housing 110. As a result, the sealing resin material 40 flows through the injection hole 114 into the filling space 115, and further reaches the cavities 111, as shown in FIG. 8(b).
Thereafter, the sealing resin material 40, filled in the housing 110, is cured by application of heat thereto, so that the resin-sealing within the housing 110 is completed (FIG. 8(a)). Thus, the assembling of the connector is completed.
In the above conventional automatic transmission connector, however, the cavities 111 are completely separated from one another by the wall portions 111a, and the lances 113 are provided respectively within the cavities 111, so that the construction is complicated. Therefore, the sealing resin material 40 of high viscosity can not easily flow into the cavities 111, and there has been encountered a problem that the positive resin-sealing between the terminals 101 has been difficult.
In the method of assembling the conventional automatic transmission connector, the sealing resin material 40 is caused to flow from the filling space 115 at the lower position into the cavities 111 at the upper position, that is, the sealing resin material 40 is caused to flow from the lower position to the upper position against the gravity, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that the sealing resin material can not be easily filled in the cavities 111, so that the sealing between the terminals 101 can not be ensured.